Women who excel on a spatial task: proposed genetic and environmental factors.
A "bent twig" model which incorporates Annett's genetic handedness theory with an environmental component predicted characteristics of college women likely to excel on a mental rotation task. Those likely to have the necessary combination of genetic potential and prior experiences are right-handed women with non-right-handed relatives who rate themselves high in spatial experiences. This subgroup significantly outperformed all other groups of right-handed women on the Vandenberg Mental Rotation Test. This study provides support for the view that family handedness and spatial experiences are important factors influencing mental rotation ability in women.
Casey
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MB
Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02167.
Brabeck
M M
MM
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000235:genetics*; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007062:Identification, Psychological; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011340:Problem Solving; D012931:Social Environment; D013028:Space Perception